Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor of the cerebellum and brainstem. Case report

The authors present a case in which dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs) occurred in the cerebellum and brainstem of a 44-year-old woman. A magnetic resonance image of the brain revealed multiple cystic lesions in the right cerebellar hemisphere, vermis, tonsil, and brainstem. Partial removal of the tumors was performed. There were gray multinodular gelatinous lesions on the cerebellar hemisphere. Histologically, the tumors exhibited areas of multiple microcystic nodules in the cerebellar white matter, which were composed of oligodendroglia-like cells (OLCs), astrocytes, and neurons. There were multiple, variable nodules in the lesions, lined by OLCs. The adjacent cerebellar cortex displayed dysplastic features. Reduction of granule neurons and dislocation of Purkinje cells into the molecular layer were observed. The pathological profile of this patient agrees with that described by Daumas-Duport, et al., as a "dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor."